Technical Terms

The following is a list of those terms which are relevant to the Jamaica Table of Frequency Allocations. These terms and definitions are extracted from the International Radio Regulations of the International Telecommunication Union. These regulations should be consulted for a more comprehensive listing.

General Terms

Authority: Any government department or agency responsible for discharging the obligations undertaken in the Convention of the International Telecommunication Union and the Regulation. In Jamaica it is the Spectrum Management Authority.

Allocation (of a frequency band): Entry in the Table of Frequency Allocations of a given frequency band for the purpose of its use by one or more terrestrial or space radiocommunication services or the radio astronomy service under specified conditions.

Allotment (of a radio frequency or a radio frequency channel): Entry of a designated frequency channel in an agreed plan, adopted by a competent conference, for use by one or more administrations for a terrestrial or space radiocommunication services or the radio astronomy service under specified conditions.

Assignment (of a radio frequency or radio frequency channel): Authorization given by an administration for a radio station to use a radio frequency or radio frequency channel under specified conditions.

Radio: A general term applied to the use of radio waves.

Radio Waves or Hertzian Waves: Electromagnetic waves of frequencies arbitrarily lower than 3000 GHz, propagated in space without artificial guide.

Radiocommunication: Telecommunication by means of radio waves.

Terrestrial Radiocommunication: Any radiocommunication other than space radiocommunication or radio astronomy.

Space Radiocommunication: Any radiocommunication involving the use of one or more space stations or the use of one or more reflecting satellites or other objects in space.

Radiodetermination: The determination of the position, velocity and/or other characteristics of an object, or the obtaining of information relating to those parameters, by means of the propagation properties of radio waves.

Radionavigation: Radiodetermination used for the purpose of navigation, including obstruction warning.

Radiolocation: Radiodetermination used for purposes other than those of radionavigation.

Radio Direction – Finding: Radiodetermination using the reception of radio waves for the purpose of determining the direction of a station or object.

Radioastronomy: Astronomy based on the reception of radio waves of cosmic origin.

Co- ordinated Universial Time (UTC): Time scale, based on the seconds (S), as defined and recommended by the ITU Radio Sector (ITU-R), and maintained by the International Time Bureau (BIH).

For most practical purposes associated with the Radio Regulation, UTC is equivalent to mean solar time at the prime meridian ( 0* longitude), formerly expressed in GMT.

Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) applications (of radio frequency energy): Operation of equipment or appliances designed to generate and use locally radio frequency energy for industrial, scientific, medical, domestic or similar purposes, excluding application in the field of telecommunication.

Specific Terms Related to Frequency Management

Allocation (of a frequency band): Entry in the Table of Frequency Allocations of a given frequency band for the purpose of its use by one or more terrestrial or space radiocommunication services or the radio astronomy service under specified conditions. This term shall also be applied to the frequency band concerned.

Allotment (of a radio frequency or radio frequency channel): Entry of a designated frequency channel in an agreed plan, adopted by a competent conference, for use by one or more administrations for a terrestrial or space radiocommunication service in one or more identified countries or geographical areas and under specified conditions.

Assignment (of a radio frequency or radio frequency channel): Authorization given by an administration for a radio station to use a radio frequency or radio frequency channel under specified conditions.

Radio Services

Radiocommunication Service: A service as defined in this Section involving the transmission, emission, and/or reception of radio waves for specific telecommunication purposes.

In these regulations, unless otherwise stated, any radiocommunication service relates to terrestrial radiocommunication.

Fixed Services: A radiocommunication service between specified fixed points.

Fixed – Satellite Service: A radiocommunication service between earth stations at given positions, when one or more satellites are used; the give position may be a specified point or any fixed point within specified areas; in some cases this service includes satellite-to- satellite links, which may also be operated in the inter-satellite service: the fixed-satellite service may also include feeder links for other space radiocommunication services.

Aeronautical Fixed Service: A radiocommunication service between specified fixed points provided primarily for the safety of air navigation and for the regular, efficient and economical operation of air transport.

Space Operation Service: A radiocommunication service concerned exclusively with the operation of spacecraft, in particular space tracking, space telemetry and space telecommand.

These functions will normally be provided within the service in which the space stations operate.

Mobile-Satellite Service: A radiocommunication service:

between mobile earth stations and one or more space stations, or between space stations used by this service; or

between mobile earth stations by means of one or more space stations.

This service may also include feeder links necessary for its operation.

Land Mobile Service: A mobile service between base stations and land mobile stations.

Land Mobile-Satellite Service: A mobile- satellite service in which mobile earth stations are located on land.

Maritime Mobile Service: A mobile service between coast station , or between ships stations, or between associated on-board communication stations; survival craft stations and emergency position-indicating radiobeacon stations may also participate in this service.

Aeronautical Mobile Service: A mobile station between mobile stations, and aircraft station, or between aircraft station, in which survival craft stations and emergency position- indicating radiobeacon stations may also participate in this service.

Aeronautical Mobile (R) Service: An aeronautical mobile service reserved for communications relating to safety regularity of flight, primarily along national and international civil air routes.

Aeronautical Mobile (OR) Service: An aeronautical mobile service intended for communications, including those relating to flight coordination, primarily outside national and international air routes.

Aeronautical Mobile-Satellite Service: A mobile-satellite service in which mobile earth stations are located on board aircraft; survival craft stations and emergency position-indicating radiobeacon stations may also participate in this service.

Aeronautical Mobile-Satellite (R) Service: An aeronautical mobile-satellite service reserved for communications relating to safety and regularity of flights, primarily outside national or international civil air routes.

Aeronautical Mobile-Satellite (OR) Service: An aeronautical mobile-satellite service intended for communications, including those relating to flight coordination, primarily outside national or international civil air routes.

Broadcasting Service: A radiocommunication service in which signals transmitted or retransmitted by space stations are intended for direct reception by the general public.

In the broadcasting-satellite service, the term direct reception shall encompass both individual reception and community reception.

Inter-Satellite Service: A radiocommunication service providing links between artificial satellites.

Radiodetermination Service: A radiocommunication service for the purpose of radiodetermination.

Radiodetermination-Satellite Service: A radiocommunication service for the purpose of radiodetermination involving the use of one or more space stations.

This service may also include feeder links necessary for its own operation.

Radionavigation Service: A radiocommunication service for the purpose of radionavigation.

Radionavigation-Satellite Service: A radionavigation-satellite service for the purpose of radionavigation.

Maritime Radionavigation Service: A radionavigation service intended for the benefit and for the safe operation of ships.

Maritime Radionavigation-Satellite Service: A radionavigation satellite service in which earth stations are located on board ships.

Aeronautical Radionavigation Service: A radionavigation service intended for the benefit and for the safe operation of aircraft.

Aeronautical Radionavigation-Satellite Service: A radionavigation-satellite service in which earth stations are located on board aircraft.

Radiolocation Service: A radiodetermination service for the purpose of radiolocation.

Radiolocation-Satellite Service: A radiodetermination-satellite service used for the purpose of radiolocation.

This service may also include feeder links necessary for its operation.

Meteorological Aids Services: A radiocommunication service used for meteorological, including hydrological, observations and exploration.

Earth Exploration-Satellite Service: A radiocommunication service between earth stations and one or more space stations, which may include links between space stations, in which:

information relating to the characteristics of the Earth and its natural phenomena, including data relating to the state of the environment, is obtained from active sensors or passive sensors on earth satellites;

similar information is collected from air-borne or Earth-based platforms;

such information may be distributed to earth stations within the system concerned;

platform interrogation may be included.

This service may also include feeder links necessary for its operation

Meteorological-Satellite Service: An earth exploration-satellite service for scientific, technical and other purposes, providing the transmission of specified frequencies, time signals or both, of stated high precision, intended for general reception.

Standard Frequency and Time Signal-Satellite Service: A radiocommunication service using space stations on earth satellites for the same purpose as those of standard frequency and time signal service.

(R): route

(OR): off-route

This service may also include feeder links necessary for its operation.

Space Research Service: A radiocommunication service in which spacecraft or other objects in space are used for scientific or technological research purposes.

Amateur Service: A radiocommunication service for the purpose of self-training, intercommunication and technical investigations carried out by amateurs, that is by duly authorized persons interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest.

Amateur-Satellite Service: A radiocommunication service using space stations on earth satellite for the same purpose as those of amateur service.

Radio Astronomy Service: A service involving the use of radio astronomy.

Safety Service: Any radiocommunication service used permanently or temporarily for the safeguard of human life and property.

Categories of Service

Primary and Secondary Service

Where, in this Table, a band is indicated as allocated to more than one services, either on a worldwide or regional basis, such services are listed in the following order:

services with names printed in “capitals” (example: FIXED); these are called “primary” service;

services with names printed in “normal characters” (example: Mobile); these are called “secondary” services.

Additional remarks are printed in normal characters (example: MOBILE except aeronautical mobile). Permitted and primary services have equal rights, except that, in the preparation of frequency plans, the primary service shall have prior choice of frequencies.

Stations of a secondary service

shall not cause harmful interference to stations of primary service to which frequencies are already assigned or to which frequencies may be assigned at a later date;

cannot claim harmful interference to stations of a primary service to which frequencies are already assigned at a later date;

can claim protection, however, from harmful interference from stations of the same or other secondary service(s) to which frequencies may be assigned at a later date.

Where an allocation is in the colour light blue , this means a worldwide allocation.